HELP! First time hatching baby chicks, what did I do wrong!?

[jackie8907]

Ok so I placed 9 eggs that I had gotten from our hen house into our circulating air incubator, had the temp set to 100° F and kept the humidity around 55-60% and then bumped it up to 65-70% the last 3 days...by day 3 we only had 3 eggs that were fertilized and looked to be progressing well my first baby chick (kuckoo maran) hatched last night and I kept him in the incubator until late this afternoon then placed him in his brooder tank with fine pine shavings a shallow water bowl and some medicated chick starter and had the temp at about 98°F in the warmest spot and he looked and acted like he was doing so well eating and drinking and chirping but I just went to check on him and he was dead!!!

did the fine pine shavings suffocate him!? And my other 2 eggs still haven't hatched and today was day 21...how long do I give them to hatch before considering them no good?

 

[Pork Pie]

I have no experience in using incubators, but i have read that members put paper towels on top of wood shavings - guess the chicks can get around easier and also see the food that spills all over. I'd prefer to let other members with experience with incubators and brooders give further advice.

CT

 

[realsis]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm not skilled in incubation so I can't answer but wanted to say I'm sorry you lost him.

 

[jhopp6]

I'm so sorry jackie8907. I've had that happen, and I've beat myself up about it. I'm fairly new to chickens (2 yrs) and starting hatching last spring. I've read everything I can get my hands on and still have so much to learn. I hear ya! So heart wrenching to wait and watch and hope - and then they're gone in an instant.

 

[DancingWthDucks]

For newborn chicks, use paper towels or puppy training pads for the bedding until they get used to what is food. Also put marbles in the water to make sure they don't drown- small chicks can drown in only half an inch of water. Your poor little chick could have died because: there wasn't enough ventilation, he was too cold, he hadn't dried enough, ate the bedding instead of the food or simply because he was just a weak chick.

Sorry about your loss...